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The construction of Kalvarija
began in the 17th century on the two banks of the Sesupe River in southwest
Lithuania. A village by the name of Trabi previously occupied the area.
Around the year 1678, King August II conferred upon it the privileges of a
city. Between 1795-1807, the city and district were part of Prussia, and
between 1807-1815 it was part of the "Grand Duchy of Warsaw." The
Russians captured it in 1815 and they included it in the District of Suvalk.
Its location on the St. Petersburg -- Warsaw road led to its rapid development.
It had 501 houses in 1827 and from 1867, Kalvarija was a provincial city. It
had a court, post office, telegraph station, and hospital with 25 beds. Three
doctors were on its staff. There were also army physicians at the military
barracks located in the town. There was also a large jail and several alcohol
distilleries as well as a large market. Some 250 petty craftsmen worked in the
town. Two army units were based there. The city was built according to a
careful urban plan -- straight, right-angle streets with wide sidewalks.

Russian rule continued until
1915. During World War I, the Germans occupied the entire region. In the
war's battles, one half of the city, some 900 houses, were destroyed. In 1919,
the Germans withdrew from the city. It was handed over to the government of
independent Lithuania, which incorporated it into Marijampole Province.

Kalvarija was connected to the
Lithuanian railroad network in 1921. In 1926, the psychiatric hospital,
formerly in Tavrig (Taurage) was relocated to the former army barracks of
Kalvarija. The hospital had 500 beds and it was one of Lithuania's largest
medical facilities. During World War II, many of the town's homes were destroyed.

The Jewish Community -- To the End of World War I

All signs indicate that there
was a Jewish community, which was engaged in weaving, in the village of Trabi
that preceded Kalvarija. In 1713, the Jews received permission from King
August II to build a synagogue on the condition that it would not be taller
than the church. Jewish craftsmen received permission to practice their crafts
without having to be members of the craft guilds.

Jews earned their living through commerce, crafts, agriculture, and, to a lesser degree, industry.
Nearly all the stores in the town were Jewish owned. The grain trade was also
in Jewish hands, and they exported the produce to Germany. Tens of grain
merchants lived most of the year in nearby Koenigsburg. They served as
middlemen between the grain dealers of Kalvarija and the large grain magnates
of the big city. The achievements of German Jews in the realms of culture and
science greatly impressed the Jews of Kalvarija. The sons of the well to do,
in addition to learning Talmud and Bible, began to study Russian and German.
The Yiddish of the town was also 'Germanized.' This is how 'Kalvaiyer Deitch,' [the German/Yiddish of Kalvarija] which was famous throughout Lithuania, came into being.

The German model, on one hand, coupled with the grinding poverty of the
majority of the Jewish population on the other hand, encouraged many of the
young people of the town to seek their futures abroad. Hundreds of young
people and families left in the 1880s and emigrated to the United States,
South Africa, and also to Eretz Yisrael. Kalvarija itself had several
'experts' who earned their living by smuggling people into Germany thus
enabling them to board boats to carry them abroad. This was the cheapest and
least complicated way to start the journey to one's new home. A boar bristle
processing industry, which employed dozens of Jews, also developed in the town.
Jewish merchants also exported butter, poultry and other agricultural products
to Germany. The Korngold family had a large number of beehives; the Epstein,
Kronson, and Solomon families raised tobacco. Kalvarija also boasted of one of
Lithuania's largest flourmills (Romanov family), and a tobacco and cigarette
factory (Solomon family). The army bases located near the city and the large
prison (The Golden) also served as sources of income for Jewish contractors and
suppliers.

The bristle workers organized in the years 1893-1897 under the influence of the Russian Social-Democratic
Party and the [Jewish] Bund. The workers carried out strikes to support their
demand to shorten their working day to 10 hours and to improve what were
starvation wages. The workers achieved some of their aims as a result of these
strikes.

Most of the Jewish children, as was the practice in those days, were taught in the [traditional] heder. In
some of them, both the Hebrew language and its grammar were studied. Kalvarija
also had a Talmud-Torah where 150 poor children, taught by 9 teachers, received
their education at no charge. From 1883, the Talmud-Torah began to teach
Hebrew and its grammar. In an emotional notice printed in 1884 in the
newspaper Hamelitz [founded in 1860, it was the first Hebrew newspaper to appear in Russia],
officers of the Talmud-Torah, Israel Isser Harb, Dov Ratner, Judah Kalman
Romberg, and Moses Levinson, called on former residents now living in America
and South Africa to come to the aid of the poor children being taught in the
Talmud-Torah. Contributions were to be sent to Rabbi B. Z. Sternfeld.

In 1858-1859, with the approval of the government, a general Jewish school was established. It had between
80-100 boys and girls. Some of them continued their studies in the Russian
gymnasia in Suvalk and Marijampole. In 1871, there were 15 young Kalvarija
Jews studying in these institutions. In 1899, several of the town's wealthy
men, including Poliak, Muskat, Fried, Rosenholtz and others founded the
"National School." It enrolled scores of children from poor
families who studied Hebrew and Jewish history. It was designed to continue
the education of those who had completed their regular heder studies.

Replacing the old wooden synagogue whose walls and foundation were crumbling, was a new stone building
constructed in 1803. The new synagogue had thick stone walls and an elaborate
Holy Ark and Bimah [Torah Reader's Platform] constructed of wood by a master craftsman. The
walls were decorated with paintings of animals. The women's section was on
both sides of the building. At the entrance were two small prayer rooms -- one
for the "Psalm Reciters' Society" and the other for the Burial
Society. In 1869, a Beit Midrash [Study House] was erected in the courtyard of the synagogue. It was
constructed with funds donated by Sarah the wife of Azriel Sobolwitz of
Koenigsburg. This was a large, spacious building with walls constructed of
bricks. In addition to the large prayer room, there were smaller rooms used
[for prayer] by the free loan society [Gemilat Hesed], the Society for the Dowering of Brides [Hakhnasat Kalah], and three rooms used by the Talmud-Torah for providing poor children with a
free education. Kalvarija had additional small prayer rooms [known as Kloizim - singular Kloiz]: the Kloiz in the name of Rabbi Leibele Broida, the Mishmar [Guard] Kloiz, the teamsters' Kloiz, the Kloiz of Elijah Azriel and the
Margulies Kloiz.

Torah study and lessons took place in the Hevra Shas [Talmud study group]. In existence from 1796, every night a page of Talmud
was studied. This enabled them to complete the entire Talmud in the period of
seven years. That occasion was marked with a festive dinner celebration. In
addition, there was a Mishnah study group that met for instruction by the rabbi
after morning prayers each day. For the simpler Jews a class in Yiddish
studied Ein Ya'akov [a text containing the legendary sections of the Talmud]. The members of the
Psalm Society [Hevra T'hilim] also met regularly to recite Psalms together.

Among the rabbis who served the
community were: Rabbi Samuel ben Eliezer (18th cent.); Rabbi Arieh Leib
Shapira; Rabbi Joshua Isaac Shapira, author of the book Emek Yehoshua [the Valley of Joshua] published in Warsaw, 1842; Rabbi Mordecai Klatchko
(Meltzer) (1852-1864); Rabbi Mordecai Halevi Hochman (served from 1865); Rabbi
Ben Zion Sternfeld, author of the book Sha'arey Tzion [Gates of Zion](Piotrikow, 1903) and of many other volumes; Rabbi Eliezer Simha
Rabinowitz (1887-1909); Rabbi Zelig Reuben Bangiss (served from 1938) and later
lived in Jerusalem; in documentation from 1940 the name of a Rabbi Moses
Mezigal, apparently the last rabbi, is recorded.

There were numerous activities in the area of social welfare: a Free Loan Society [Gemilat Hesed] provided loans to the needy which were paid off in small weekly installments;
a Society for Visiting the Sick [Bikur Holim] which took upon itself the task of providing the ill the medical help and
medications at no charge; an organization of women [both married and single]
called Medkhen Varein which helped the poor during their recovery from illness. It even provided
the funds for those who had to travel abroad for treatment.

In the last decade of the 19th century, Kalvarija boasted a number of intellectuals fluent in Hebrew. Some of
them subscribed to the Hebrew newspapers Hamelitz, Hamagid, Hashahar and others.

Some local Jews made aliyah to the Land of Israel even before the Hibbat Tzion Movement began its activities. There were at least nine Kalvarija Jews buried
in the Mt. of Olives Cemetery in Jerusalem in the last half of the 19th
century. In the early 1880s, some Kalvarija Jews joined the Yesod Hama'aleh organization. Founded in Suvalk, its goal was to resettle the Land of Israel. Among those who came on aliyah in the 1890s were the family of Israel-Mayer
Hodorovsky, who was among the founders of Hadera; the family of Moses Leib
Kahana, one of the founders of Carmel Mizrahi [winemakers], and his son,
Elijahu Aaron, who was one of the founders of Tel Aviv. In 1890 the Hovevei Tzion branch in Kalvarija proposed gathering signatures in every town and city in Lithuania to send a petition to Baron Hirsch to urge him to support the
rebuilding of the Land of Israel instead of his projects of resettling Jews in
Argentina and the Crimea. The Shoharei Toshiya [Friends of Understanding] organization, whose goal was to support educational
projects and work towards the upbuilding of the Land of Israel, was founded in
Kalvarija in 1894. The Zionist Organization was active in the town from 1898.
In the 1909 list of contributors to the fund for the Land of Israel, there were
120 Jews from Kalvarija.

Among the prominent natives of Kalvarija are numbered: Kalman Schulman (1821-1899) the author and translator.
He translated the Secrets of Paris [le Mysteres de Paris] by the French author Eugene Sue (1804-1857). He also translated
the works of Josephus. All of his 24 books were published in Vilna. Two of
the rabbis of Reform Temple Emanu-el in New York City, Dr. Samuel Schulman and
Dr. Samuel H. Goldenson were Kalvarija born. Two sons of the teacher Israel
Mayer Elkess were noted physicians in Kovno. One of them, Dr. Elhanan Elkess,
was the head of the Jewish Committee in Ghetto Kovno. He fulfilled this most
difficult position with great honor.

In the fall of 1914 with the outbreak of World War I, the Russian General Renenkamph ordered the local Jews
to do road construction work as a punishment for their alleged sympathy for the
Germans. In the battles that took place in the area during the war, 220 local
Jews were injured. Half the city was destroyed by fire, including the old
synagogue. Circumstances forced most of the Jews to leave the city and to
scatter throughout Russia. After the Germans captured Kalvarija, many returned
to their destroyed city. They were dependent on outside support that was
provided by the Koeningsburg branch of the Aid Society of the Jews of Germany
[Hilfsverein].

Independent Lithuania

With the declaration of the establishment of independent Lithuania on February 16, 1918, along with the
withdrawal of the German army in the beginning of 1919, some of the former
Jewish residents scattered throughout Russia began to return. Because of its
nearness to the District City of Marijampole and its proximity to the newly
established border with Poland, which cut Kalvarija off from what had been its
natural adjoining territory, the town's importance declined. It was reduced to
being only a regional center. In the wake of the declaration of Jewish
Autonomy, Kalvarija elected a committee of 11 members. In 1921, its members
were split among the following groupings: Young Zion List - 5; Unity - 2;
Artisans - 1; Workers - 1; Unclassified - 2. The Committee was involved in
most areas of Jewish life in the city between 1921-1925. As many Kalvarija
residents were fluent in Hebrew, the minutes of the Committee's deliberations
were recorded in both Hebrew and Yiddish on facing pages. During most of these
four years, the City Council had 4 Jewish members. In 1924, a Jew was elected
vice-mayor. In 1934 on 3 Jews were elected (out of 9 City Council members);
they were Blumanson, Malakh and Kronson.

The Jews who returned after World War I began to reconstruct their destroyed houses and most resumed their
former occupations. The economic situation was precarious and the shopkeepers
were the first to suffer. Even the situation of the grain merchants worsened,
a direct result of the government's restrictive legislation. Not good either
was the position of the Jewish farmers and artisans. The critical economic
situation that effected most of Kalvarija's Jews is pointed to by the fact that
in 1923 the Jewish Community Council turned to the National Council [Va'ad Ha'aretz] -- that is the National Council of Lithuanian Jews [Natsionalrat] for emergency aid and clothing for 97 men, women and children.

In 1937 Kalvarija had 32 Jewish artisans: 6 butchers; 5 tailors; 5 needleworkers; 4 bakers; 3 shoemakers; 3
barbers; 3 watchmakers; and a milliner, bookbinder, locksmith and blacksmith.
At the same time 2 of the 5 physicians, 2 of the 3 dentists and two of the
lawyers were Jews. The psychiatric hospital, the largest of its kind in
Lithuania with 500 beds, provided Jewish contractors and suppliers with their
livelihoods. The natural beauty of the area, its clear and pure air, its
rushing river through pine forests, attracted many Jewish vacationers. These
visitors also contributed to the economic well-being of Kalvarija's Jews.

The Folksbank had a branch in town. It had 246 members in 1927 but by 1939, it declined to 190. A branch of
the United Credit Organization of Jewish Farmers also operated. According to
the 1939 official telephone book, 36 of the 89 private listings were Jews. The
agitation of the Lithuanian organization of merchants - "Verslas" against buying in Jewish owned stores led to an unofficial boycott. The
development of Lithuanian co-operatives that took control of the export of
grain and the import of farm equipment, fertilizer and seed, resulted in many
Jews losing their livelihood. Another example of scheming against Jews was the
proposal of the National Lithuanian Party in Kalvarija in 1939 to transfer the
local market day to the Jewish Sabbath. The situations thus created led many
people to emigrate to the United States or South Africa or to relocate to the
larger cities of Lithuania.

Kalvarija's Jewish children were educated in the Yavneh School, which had an average enrollment of 135
students, the Yiddish School, which had an average enrollment of 130 students,
and in the Hebrew High School, which had 8 classes. This last institution
closed in 1935 due to the lack of students. The Progymnasia operated in its
place. Kalvarija also had a Hebrew language nursery school. There was also a
2,000 volume Hebrew and Yiddish library. It was connected with the Ezra
Organization and was housed in its own facility, a room provided at no charge
by the Folksbank.

From time to time, a theater
company would visit the town to perform plays. Local thespians also put on
plays and donated the proceeds to the Jewish National Fund [JNF], Keren Hayesod
[United Israel Appeal], WIZO [Women's Zionist Organization], and Keren Tel Hai.

Nearly all divisions of the Zionist Movement were to be found, among them Hashomer Hatzair and Betar.
There was a kibbutz training farm of Hehalutz, whose members, both boys and
girls, did all kinds of work in town as they waited impatiently for their hoped
for immigration certificates to Eretz Yisrael. A fair number of the youth who
received a Zionist education in the Hebrew language school and were involved in
Zionist youth groups did make it to Eretz Yisrael.

Following are the results of the elections in Kalvarija for the various Zionist Congresses.

Year

Shekalim

Total Votes

Working Eretz Yisrael

Revisionists

General Zionists

Statists

Mizrahi

TZ'S

TZ'TZ

A

B

15th

1927

50

26

2

3

4

16

-

-

1

16th

1929

180

107

24

3

49

27

-

-

4

17th

1931

163

131

67

2

45

13

-

-

4

18th

1933

-

503

126

30

-

32

12

19th

1935

572

514

-

3

73

82

21

The sporting activity of the Jewish youth was centered in the local branch of Maccabi, which had a few score
members. Jews were active in the volunteer fire brigade of Kalvarija. One of
them, Abba Blumenson, received the decoration of Vitatus the Great in 1937.

There were 5 synagogues: The Great Synagogue, the Beit Midrash, 2 Kloiz, and 1 shtibel. The Great Synagogue
was built on the ruins of the old synagogue, which had been destroyed by fire
during World War I. It was a thick walled structure, whose interior walls were
decorated with original illustrations of animals and birds executed by a local
artisan. The pulpit [amud] was also a masterful work of art. Until his aliyah to Eretz Yisrael in
1938, Rabbi Zelig Reuben Bangiss served the community. He also functioned as a
rabbi in Jerusalem. The last rabbi of Kalvarija was Rabbi Moses Mezigal.

During this time, the self-help organizations Ezra and Gemilat Hasadim [Free Loan Society], as well as the
others typical of Jewish Lithuania carried on their work in Kalvarija. In
addition, "The Society for the Protection of Jewish Psychiatric
Patients," which also had a branch in Kovno, concerned itself with finding
appropriate living quarters for homeless patients. They also secured a
separate wing for Jewish patients in the local mental hospital [the largest in
Lithuania].

World War II & Its Aftermath

In 1939, the Germans expelled 2,400 Jews from Suvalk Province in Poland to Lithuania. Eight hundred of them
were settled in Kalvarija where the local community cared for their every need
with great devotion.

When Lithuania became a Soviet Republic in June 1940, the Jewish owned enterprises were nationalized. A
commissar, who later became the director, was appointed the head of each
business. The supply of goods was severely curtailed, and prices skyrocketed.
The middle class, most of whose members were Jews, was gravely affected. The
standard of living plummeted. The Zionist Youth movements were forcibly
disbanded and the Komsomol, the Communist youth movement, expended great effort
in recruiting Jewish youth into their ranks. All Hebrew educational
institutions were also shut down.

On Sunday, June 22, 1941, the first day of the war between Germany and the Soviet Union, the German army
entered Kalvarija. On July 1, an order was issued by the Lithuanian police
requiring all Jews to wear a yellow star on their clothing and prohibiting them
from using the sidewalks. Jews were taken for forced labor, and both on the
way to and on the return from their forced labor assignments, they were
publicly humiliated and abused in full sight of the local Lithuanian
population. In the beginning of July, 90 men and women, including Lithuanian
Communists, Jewish intellectuals, and others, were held in the Zidruyevetz
Hotel. There they were beaten and abused over a period of days. On July 5
they were all taken to Orios Lake, some two kilometers from town, and there on
a bluff, next to previously prepared pits, they were shot and buried. On the
Sabbath, August 30, 1941, all the Jews were assembled, ostensibly to be
transferred to the Marijampole (cf) Ghetto. To transport their belongings, a
large number of wagons were gathered from surrounding villages. The loaded
wagons were taken instead to the local synagogue where they were emptied. In
place of their possessions, the Jews were transported to barracks in
Marijampole. There they joined Jews from the surrounding areas and the local
residents -- totaling some 8,600 people.

On Monday, September 1, 1941 [9 Elul, 5701], they were all taken to the banks of the Sesupe River where they
were shot next to previously prepared pits. Only a few Jews managed to escape
from the slaughter, but, they too, were caught by the Lithuanians and executed.
After they were 'rid of their Jews,' Kalvarija's Lithuanians, led by their
priest, in a frenzy destroyed all the Jewish owned stores that were near the
church. From the bricks of the destroyed stores, they built a wall around the
church.

During the war about half of the houses in town were destroyed by fire. Nothing remained of the Jewish
cemetery. The Beit Midrash, which was not damaged, served a local grain
co-operative as a warehouse. After the war, in 1945, one Jewish family,
Korngal, returned. They lived in their former house for about six months.
Between the years 1970-1989, there was one Jew in town. In the early 1990s,
the old Jewish cemetery was restored.